Bond of Crystallised Eternity
by NabeMomo
Summary: When Yggdrasil first announced its end, Satoru felt the last shades of colour drain from his lonely lifestyle. However, a mysterious letter one day spirals the young man into an alternate universe filled with various dangers lying in wait. Little did he know that somewhere amongst the crowd, stood an individual that would one day become his irreplaceable partner...NabeXAinz Romance


**Chapter 1: Just an ordinary day...right?**

* * *

 **Hello everyone, Velvet here! Thank you very for stopping by my story and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy your stay as we begin what will be a very long adventure!**

 **Just a couple of differences I wanted to clarify regarding my story and the original Overlord source, so as to avoid confusion!**

 **1\. NPCs like Albedo, Shalltear, Pandora's Actor etc. are not created by the players in this story. Instead players earn them as a reward from in game content.**

 **2\. Leading on from the first point, the specific names for these particular NPCs are Guardians.**

 **3\. In this story, Narberal is Ainz's guardian and Pandora's actor is Nishirenkai's guardian.**

 **Phew! ~~**

 **Without further ado, let us begin !**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord or any of it's characters. My story is written purely for the writer and viewer's entertainment :D

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Just an ordinary day...right?**

"Suzuki-san, are you kidding me right now?"

"I-I-Is there a problem with it manager?"

"It's cold, disgusting and bitter! Did you even remember to throw in sugar?"

"B-B-But you always drink without sugar…"

"What if I changed my mind huh? IT IS your job to ask right?"

"I'm terribly sorry!"

"Then don't just sit there, hurry and grab me a new cup of coffee this instant!"

"Right away!"

The large burly man slammed his fists on the table causing the already-panicked boy to jump in his seat. Grabbing the porcelain ware, Satoru proceeded to leave the room with a downcast gaze, gently closing the door behind him.

Yup, what he had just experienced was the typical scene in an office, namely a superior scolding a worker for his mistakes. That in and of itself wouldn't have been an major cause for concern especially within the working environment for one was expected to perform to the best of his abilities at all times. However, this wasn't the first time such an event had happened…or second for that matter but rather an everyday occurrence. Furthermore even after lamenting his manager's words, he couldn't find a single point of error in his conduct.

 _Cold…disgusting…and bitter._

Arriving at the small kitchen area, the young man poured out the cup's still steaming contents in order to prepare yet another fresh beverage. Unless his boss's taste had somehow evolved drastically overnight, it was becoming increasingly difficult to rule out the possibility of Satoru being treated unfairly. Yet rather than complaining or whining about his current situation like most would have, the young man shrugged it off, instead choosing to derail his thoughts.

"Considering the amount of experience points I must have accumulated from this routine, there's no doubt my coffee brewing skill must be fairly high…perhaps I should consider a class change soon haha."

Revealing a small smile at the notion, the black-haired boy repeated a set of motions he had practiced so many times before.

Grinding of coffee beans…adding powder and teaspoon of sugar into cup…mixing…boiling milk…combining.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten to complete the procedure by finishing with a neatly patterned leaf on top. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Satoru set his masterpiece upon a fine china plate before returning to the large office.

Taking a brief moment in an attempt to rectify his anxiety, the black-haired boy gave the door a couple of firm knocks, entering only after he heard a permitting voice.

"Come in!"

"Excuse me Mr Tachibana, here is your coffee."

"About damm time."

In response to the heavily annoyed tone, Satoru nervously set the newly brewed beverage atop his supervisor's desk before taking several steps back. Taking a small sip, Tachibana snorted before waving a hand.

"Tchh it'll have to do, now get lost before you further distract me from my work."

"Ahhh, yes sir!" Spinning on his heels, the young boy quickly made himself scarce, finally completing the task that he had spent an hour to do. But his newly acquired freedom was fleeting, for another assignment quickly rose to fill its place.

"Hey Suzuki-san, don't you look awfully bored over there? Why don't you empty my trash can for me?" A brown-haired boy spoke out haughtily, signalling at Satoru for a meagre job.

"But…" The job was not something he was hired to do was what the boy wanted to say but the next line stopped him in his tracks.

"Or do you perhaps want us to report your slacking behaviour to the higher ups?" Another co-worker from the crowd chimed in, eagerly joining in to toy with the poor boy in question.

"Ahhh, no, I'll clean your bin right away."

"Be sure to clear mine too!"

"Suzuki, run to the nearest fast food restaurant and grab me a burger!"

"Ohhh sounds delicious, grab one for me too!"

"Err…what about the money for it?"

"You live alone anyway, might as well spend some of that for your colleagues right?"

"…"

* * *

"Oiii Suzuki-san? Come over here for a second."

"Of course, what is the matter?"

The clock struck a chime signalling the arrival of a new hour, and a majority of the workers had reacted accordingly, Satoru being no different. After all, the evening was developing well into its advanced stages, arising the desire in many to return to their humble abroad. Whether that was to sate their growing hunger or not, it was a fact that most individuals here had families waiting for their return. Perhaps that had stirred the following conversation; at least the boy would have liked to think of it as so.

"Do you mind helping me finish my work?"

"Huh?"

"Look, I have quite a few appointments tonight which I don't want to miss. Besides, you don't have anything to do right?" The blonde-haired worker winked at Satoru, shoving a stack of papers into his hands without waiting for an answer. "Thanks man, remember to email me the finished product tonight alright?"

"Errrr…"

"Alrighty, it's all sorted! Let's go to that mixer!"

"Did you give him all your work again?"

"Yesss haha, he's got plenty of free time anyway!"

"Maybe, I should give him mine next time too hahaha."

The lively crowd of colleagues gathered and laughed, eventually leaving the office in a orderly fashion, excited for the events that usually entailed on a Friday evening. Not one spared a glance in his direction…not one invited him to join them.

"But…I have something to do tonight too…"

Unfortunately his words fell on deaf ears, the quiet voices being a clear indicator of the distance between them. Sure Satoru didn't have anyone to return to at home but that didn't imply he had nothing to do. Then again…after tonight…he couldn't deny such a statement with astounding confidence anymore.

Having already cleaned his desk, the young boy had been on the verge of leaving right when this task had been thrown on him. Therefore Satoru had to unpack all his belongings in order to begin working.

"No use crying over spilt milk, let's get this over with and return there…one last time…" Mentally pumping himself up, the black-haired boy began with renewed vigour, flipping through the stack of newly acquired assignment.

* * *

"And…sent!" Tapping the left mouse button much harder than he probably should have, Satoru's eyes light up with joy at his accomplishment. "Phew!"

Arising from the large but hard recliner chair, the young boy did a few simple arm and leg stretches, alleviating as much of the stiffness as possible gained from his extended office hours. Glancing around to survey his surroundings, Satoru quickly realised just how many hours had passed since the others had departed. The room, which had been dyed a warm orange glow, was now almost pitch black. Had it not been for his desk lamp, the interior would have been no different from the darkness that enveloped the night outside.

"Mhmm, it's already fairly late huh…WAIT! WHAT TIME IS IT?!" Shooting a frantic glance at his wristwatch, the black-haired teen quite literally sweat dropped, anxiety quickly overwhelming his exhausted brain.

It read 10:30pm.

The night was not the only thing that was late…because he was too.

"Ohhh crap!" Flinging a bag roughly over his shoulders, the young boy performed one last sweep of his desk, making sure everything was orderly fashioned, before taking leaps if not bounds towards the building entrance. Bursting through the front doors, Satoru was immediately greeted with a powerful cool breeze, causing him to hug his coat tighter. "Brrrr d-d-don't worry…I'll be home soon."

While his intention has been to make a straight beeline towards the train station, a quick glimpse of a convenience store promptly reminded him of something important. In all his haste, Satoru had completely forgotten about the event he and his friends had planned specifically for today.

To the ordinary individual, it would have been more accurate to describe them as "guildies" rather than strictly friends in order to differentiate between online and real life. With conversations that never strayed far from gaming, Satoru naturally knew close to nothing about their personal lives, having never met a single one of them offline. Yet for the young teen of 20 years, these precious interactions were all he had to go by.

What if he didn't know what they looked like in real life?

What if all they had talked about were games?

What if it was all online?

None of this mattered to him…

Pushing open the convenience store, the black-haired boy was greeted with a familiar tune, a signal that sounded every time a new customer arrived. Greeting the clerk with the usual nod, he swiftly made his way towards the back wordlessly.

'Hmmm…how many should I buy?' Tapping his feet as though the mere action helped to stimulate his thoughts, Satoru ultimately decided to go all out… 'Might as well right?'

Grabbing a generous stack of cards from the shelf in one hand and reaching for his wallet in the other, he proceeded to the cash register for purchase.

"Good evening Suzuki-san, you're later than usual today huh?"

"Ahhh yes, had a bit of extra work today, nothing unmanageable though."

Deciding to omit the part where his colleague literally shoved his workload on him, Satoru gently laid the goods on the counter as neatly as possible. Standing across was the usual brown-haired staff of similar age, lifting an eyebrow at what he saw.

"Still buying the usual?"

"Yes thanks."

"Are you sure? From what I have heard, the Yggdrasil servers are shutting down at the end of tonight. Why waste so much money during its final moments?"

"I won't have another chance to spend money on it anyway right? Figured I should try my luck one last time in those gachas."

"You crazy son of a gun."

"Thanks for the compliment Chouji-san."

"Well I can't complain, those cards aren't going anywhere after tonight so might as well thank you for your patronage as always." Scanning card after card, a small frown slowly spread across Chouji's face as though an important thought had suddenly erupted. "So what are you going to do once it's over? Finally going to face reality and cease this obsession with games?"

"Maybe."

"Did you really drop out of college just to play games? Are you content with spending the rest of your days like this?"

"Maybe."

* * *

The train ride home had been rather uneventful, Satoru spending a majority of it lamenting what Chouji had said earlier.

"Did you really drop out of college just to play games? Are you content with spending the rest of your days like this?"

"Well theres nothing else I'm good at…"

That much was undeniably true.

No matter what he thought of, there was simply no rebutting the fact that he was below average in it.

Sports…academics…drawing…the list of negatives was endless.

On the other hand, his one and only forte had been gaming. Although considering the amount of hours he had dedicated in that field, it was hard to determine whether that was natural talent or simply skills nurtured at the sacrifice of time. Of course, that had not been a problem when he first started Yggdrasil. After all, life as a kid was always surprisingly simple, with nothing to worry about.

But things always had a way of coming back at you…something Satoru learnt the hard way.

It all happened on one seemingly normal day during his early middle school years, an event that ultimately sparked his downfall.

* * *

" _You got another 100 Satoru?"_

" _No way! Congrats!"_

" _How much did you study for this one?"_

" _Not that much actually…"_

 _Surrounded by a group of friends during lunch break, Satoru laughed happily away at all the positive remarks he was getting. Truth be told, he really hadn't studied that hard for this test. Thanks to his seemingly natural born talent, he simply needed to read something once in order to comprehend it._

 _Mathematics, English, Science… nothing was a problem for him._

 _In other words, no effort was required from his end._

" _You're really amazing Suzuki-kun! Where should we celebrate this time?" A female classmate by the name of Hotaru beamed at him, having quickly made her way over at the news._

" _Not sure…anyone have any ideas?"_

" _Hmmm…how about that new restaurant by the station? I've heard some pretty good things about it!" Chiaki, Hotaru's friend, suggested with enthusiasm, smiling brightly from her seat 2 rows away._

" _Sure, that sounds good!" Nodding in satisfaction, Satoru glanced around at everyone who had gathered, seeking confirmation on their approval. "Is that ok with everyone?"_

" _I'm actually a little low on spending money…" A boy said with a low voice, scratching his head sheepishly._

" _Me too…" Another responded in a similar tone._

" _That's ok, Suzuki-kun is treating us right?" Hotaru spoke out with a wide grin, patting him on the back as she did so._

" _Really? Thank you so much!" Chiaki smiled in practiced unison, almost as though they were acting with a script._

" _Sure why not? My mother gives me plenty of spending money whenever I do well in a test anyway, can always just ask her for some more later."_

" _Yayyy!"_

 _Just then, a small vibration could be felt from his trouser pocket, the young boy quickly checked to see that he had received a text message._

 _It had been from his mother, reading as follows:_

 _ **Hello Satoru,**_

 _ **How was school today?**_

 _ **Sorry but I'll be late from work tonight.**_

 _ **Could you perhaps buy some eggs on your way back from school?**_

 _ **Love you**_

" _Tchhh…again?" Surfacing a irritated frown, Satoru tapped away angrily in reply._

 _ **Fine once the gathering with friends is over, I will buy them from the nearby convenience store.**_

 _Even without explicit language, it was clear as day that he was in a terrible mood. Whether or not this was conveyed to his mother, he didn't know. One way or another, it wasn't something he should have done in hindsight._

 **Later that night**

 _"Satoru? Satoru?"_

 _The front door of their small apartment creaked open followed by quiet footsteps naturally directed towards the young boy's room._

 _"What is it?" A rather irked voice could be heard in reply._

 _"Sorry for making you go out of your way today."_

 _"Whatever…" Waving her off without so much as a glance, the black-haired boy continued reading the manga within his grasp but the room's other occupant had other ideas._

 _"Would you be able to return home right after school tomorrow?" Despite how tired she was from work, the warming smile never left her face at the sight of her beloved son._

 _"Why?" Since this was the first time, Satoru attention was successfully captured, genuinely curious at the reason behind the request._

 _"It is your birthday tomorrow right? Lets celebrate dinner with all your favourite dishes!"_

 _"Really?!" Dropping his book without a second thought, he arose from his seat at the speed of light, eyes sparkling like a child in a candy store. "Will you really?"_

 _"Of course, it is my child's special day after all!"_

 _"Thanks mum! Love you!"_

 _"Love you too Satoru!"_

 _ **The next day**_

 _The day couldn't have passed any slower for the young boy, classes the normally passed in the blink of an eye seemed to stretch into years if not centuries today. It was as though the whole world finally found something to do, as though the concept of time had momentarily altered itself just for the sake of testing the boy's patience._

 _"Urghhh!" With those thoughts predominately occupying his mind, Satoru yelled out uncharacteristically during class._

 _"Suzuki-kun, that's not quite the correct answer…you want to try again?" The teacher repeated with a tolerant voice, tapping again at the question on the blackboard._

 _"Sorry… errr…"_

 _And finally…the chime that signalled school's end resounded loudly throughout each classroom much to Satoru's joy._

 _"Heck yes! Let's go!" Packing his bag and desk at world record speed, the young boy was about to make his departure when the usual group of classmates gathered around._

 _"Hey Suzuki, want to go to that new crepe store with us?" Hotaru showed a grin that was laced heavily with ulterior motives._

 _"It's always more fun when you tag along!" Chiaki beamed with an expression akin to Hotaru's._

 _"Sorry everyone, today I am officially booked out on my schedule. You guys have fun alright because I'm running late as it is." Spinning around on his feet, Satoru legged it at breakneck speed out of the classroom towards home. With his adrenaline running at max, the young boy had failed to hear the irritated conversation left by his classmates._

 _"Tcchh he's not coming right? Well theres goes our source of money…"_

 _"What do we do?"_

 _"Let's just ask him again tomorrow."_

 _Being the first to leave the school, he continued to sprint down the familiar neighbourhood, only stopping to greet a few familiar faces before resuming his momentum. Building's breezed past him thanks to his seemingly endless energy reserves, and he probably would have continued to race back home had the desire for a soft drink not surfaced in mind. Leaping into the nearest convenience store, the young boy took no longer than 2 minutes to make his purchase, feet as ready as ever to regain their pace. But a single source of sound served to deter him from his original course, reaching into his pockets to find one unread message._

 _ **Hi Satoru…**_

 _ **I am terribly sorry but a job that needs to be finished immediately just came in.**_

 _ **Therefore I will need to stay at the office for possibly even later than normal.**_

 _ **Perhaps we could celebrate your meal tomorrow?**_

 _ **For tonight, could you order something to eat or go out with friends?**_

 _ **Sorry.**_

 _ **Love you**_

 _All the energy he had felt up until seconds ago drained from his system without a moment's notice, replaced instead with an overwhelming wave of disappointment._

 _She doesn't care does she?_

 _In that moment, a flame flickered within him before sparking an immeasurable amount of anger to arise. Using this newfound sense of power, the black-haired boy typed out a message, a reply he would later come to regret for the rest of his life._

 _ **Again? Are you kidding me? Again?!**_

 _ **Why do you always come home late?**_

 _ **Always leaving me on my own!**_

 _ **Always neglecting everything at home!**_

 _ **You don't even care about me do you?**_

 _ **I'm just a money sink right?**_

 _ **Fine! Do what you want, don't even bother about celebrating tomorrow night.**_

 _Slamming the send button with every ounce of strength he could muster, Satoru bit back a string of rude words that threatened to escape his lips. Taking a phew deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down, still shaking a little here and there._

 _The minutes soon turned to hours with the sun's shift coming to an end and the moon's beginning. With the warm rays of light disappearing over the horizon, darkness took over in it's absense, the street lamps doing their best to provide as much convenience for the pedestrians as they could._

 _Honestly, the young boy didn't want to go home. Not only was he not in the mood, but the mere thought of seeing his mother would just ensure a renewed wave of frustration. But the voices of his stomach and mind were growing too strong to ignore, signs of hunger slowly overcoming him._

 _And so with great reluctance, he started walking back._

 _Satoru must have been lost in deep thought during the journey for the next thing he knew, the entrance to their apartment stood directly in front. Eliciting a small sigh, the young boy opened the lock before entering._

 _However just as he was taking off his shoes, a familiar pair of boots also came into view, ones his mother used on a day-to-day basis._

 _'Weird…was she not going to return much later tonight?'_

 _Figuring it was more polite to voice his presense, Satoru shouted out the usual phrase._

 _"I'm home!"_

 _Oddly enough, there was no reply. In fact, it was so quiet that a single drip of water falling from the tap could be heard. Frowning a little at this strange revelation, he proceeded to search the house for the other occupant._

 _"Mother?" Poking his head into various rooms, he continued to repeat his question over and over. "Mother?"_

 _Finally the last place he had yet to check soon came into view, Satoru opened the kitchen doors without a second thought._

 _His mind went completely white._

 _His eyes felt watery._

 _His mouth went dry._

 _His feet turned to jelly._

 _Barely managing to stumble towards the woman that lay sprawled on the floor, Satoru gave his brain moments to register and contemplate the scene before him. Shaking the limp shoulders of his mother, he tried desperately to find signs of it being a sick joke of some kind._

 _"Mother? Mother?!"_

 _Not a single reply was returned._

 _Instead a single detail drew his gaze and instilled his heart with fear._

 _A rather large trail of blood leaked from her lips before dripping towards the floor, forming a red pool around her._

 _"Ahhhhhhh!"_

 _Quickly scrambling to his feet, Satoru hurried towards the phone before calling for an ambulance._

 _But it was too late._

* * *

It's strange how life can seem so ordinary one moment and then completely destroy you with it's harshness the next. The existence of a tomorrow means that the possibility of anything happening then is never too far away. We all know this…each and every one of us do…yet we never fail to take things for granted…which is why we always get caught off guard. Facing this reality at such a young age was no easy feat, leaving behind a mere shadow of his former self once the entire ordeal was over.

It turned out that his mother had passed away from overwork. Satoru's father had left them many years ago, leaving the family with nothing but a financial hole. In order to fill this gap, she constantly took on several jobs at once, exchanging hefty amounts of time for meagre amounts of money. The doctors had told him signs of extreme hunger also existed, most likely from skipping meals in favour of work. Despite facing such a rough routine, his mother had never failed to show him a warm and vibrant smile whenever she was able to catch him awake.

Yet not only had he not noticed this, but also posed ridiculous demands of her.

Always questioning the reason behind her extended hours…

Always requesting for additional pocket money…

Never once helping with the chores around the house…

Never once offering to cook in her stead…

Never once being a good son…

For a long period following the event, Satoru' s memory was rather faded, barely able to recall anything significant for a good 2 years. Perhaps it was because he didn't do anything worth remembering, or maybe it was his mind's self defence mechanism kicking in. Either way, there was no telling as to how exactly the young boy managed to keep his mental stability afloat. Day in and day out, he repeated a very simple routine.

Wake up.

Eat.

Go to school.

Go home.

Sleep.

Yet each and everytime he returned home, the young boy still muttered the same word "I'm home". Some part of him wished desperately for a reply, to see the very same smile his mother always offered him.

"It's just a nightmare, everything will be fine tomorrow."

Continuously operating under this trance, Satoru somehow continued his journey forward, never leaving the house until absolutely necessary and returning straight home from school.

Yet, reality soon became too unbearable for him to keep up with despite his best efforts. Getting up in the morning became far too much of a mental warfare, a single question never failing to plague his mind.

"Why am I even still alive?"

At this crucial point in his life, something managed to save him from what probably would have been a tragic end.

Virtual Reality.

It wasn't the aspect of gaming that drew his interest, nor the fact that it was a popular topic within school. Rather it was the very idea of being able to escape his everyday life, which appealed strongly to him.

Willing to accept any form of solution, Satoru had immediately gathered whatever spare money he had before purchasing the necessary equipment. Making sure to complete the necessary research, the young boy ultimately decided on one game in particular.

Yggdrasil.

Considering his lack of experience in this regard though, Satoru had no way of ever predicting how much he would enjoy it. Heck, he even spent a good 2 days simply setting up the machine.

Therefore he never would have remotely imagined the friendships he would make within Yggdrasil, people whom like him, were more willing to dedicate whatever free time they had towards it.

At least that was what it used to be like…

Shaking his head to return to reality, Satoru quickly unlocked his apartment door with one hand before racing inside. Darting into the kitchen, he grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard and a can of soft drink from the fridge before racing towards his study room. Assuming a comfortable sitting position, Satoru placed the virtual reality helmet over his head, switching it on once it was firmly attached.

 **-Welcome back Satoru-**

 **-Please wait while we patch Yggdrasil (0%)-**

"Huh, there was a patch today? Crap, I'm already late as it is…I hope everyone is still online."

Shifting impatiently in his chair yet left with no choice but to wait, Satoru used the window of opportunity to satisfy his hunger and thirst. Munching idly away, a more pressing point forced its way to the front of his mind, ultimately forcing the boy to address it.

"What could they possibly be patching on the last day of the game anyway?"

A valid question it was for what kind of company would bother when it's game was set to be horizoned, and tomorrow at that. Leaving it to update in the background, Satoru immediately entered Yggdrasil's main website, hoping to quell the growing wave of curiosity within. Clicking onto the 'latest news tab', the black-haired soon find a post titled 'Final Patch Notes'.

 **To our dear and valued players of Yggdrasil,**

 **Before dwelling into the nitty gritty details within this post, on behalf of all the staff and I, we would like to thank each and every one of you out there for your patronage over the past 22 years.**

 **I know it has been mentioned over and over again since our announcement to shut down the game 2 months ago, but we would have never dreamed at the time that such a meagre project of ours would have attracted such a large player base throughout it's course. However just like in life, most good things eventually come to an end. Despite our greatest efforts to revive Yggdrasil through various updates and revamps, it only served to halt and slow down it's inevitable end. In the end, the development team had no choice but to face the steady decline in number of players, and accept that the game had entered it's final phase after 22 years.**

 **However, despite all of this, we will never forget the journey to this point, filled with both happy and sad times, a sentiment that I'm sure many players will share alongside us.**

 **In fact, it has come to our attention that a quite a few dedicated fans feel almost responsible for the avatar they have created within the game. It is indeed true that while our contact with them will end once the servers are taken down, the world of Yggdrasil will continue to exist, our characters left without a controller in the harsh world within. Therefore to satisfy the demands of these fans, we would like to dedicate one last gacha to you all.**

 **Coming in bundles of 10, 20 and 50, you will find various useful items within that may be adjusted for automatic use should the time of need ever come to your character. Additionally, these goods may be traded to fellow friends and guildies alike should you feel the need. It would be no fun to spoil their contents in this post rather than letting you guys discover the mystery yourselves.**

 **On a final note, each account will be provided with 50 boxes, each containing 1 to 3 items, completely free of charge. However should you feel the urge to open more or have remaining online currency to use, you may purchase as many additional loot as you want.**

 **That concludes our final patch note.**

 **Once again, thank you all for your support over these years and sincerely hope to see you in any of our future projects.**

 **P.S. Good luck with the Gachas!**

"Final gacha huh?" Smiling quietly to himself, Satoru brushed a sentimental tear from his eye before deciding to scratch the cash cards he had bought on the way home. "Couldn't have had better timing!"

Naturally, the young boy was going to spend every last Yggdrasil drop (name of cash card currency) towards this gacha. After all, there was nothing left to lose and the thought of wasting any would bother him to no end after the servers close down. Besides, after reading the patch post, there was no doubt that the developers would have dedicated a significant amount of effort towards it.

"Perhaps the other guildies would have bought them too!"

You see, in commemoration of Yggdrasil's final day, he had sent out an invitation to all 41 members of the guild, all of which replied favourably. Of course, some had already deleted their characters, but still promised to create new characters in order to attend said event.

"But I'm late!"

As though acting on cue, a familiar beep resounded from his virtual reality helmet.

 **-The patch for Yggdrasil has been completed, we thank you for your patience-**

 **Do you wish to open and load it's contents? Yes/No**

"Well I won't get another chance to so heck yeah I do."

Satoru selected the appropriate options with practiced motions, entering his password when it was prompted. Arriving at the character screen, the young boy couldn't help but stare at the screen for a second, instilling an unforgettable image into his mind.

 **Please select your character…**

 **Momonga (Lvl. 100)**

 **Momomomomga (Lvl.1)**

 **Momomomomomomga (Lvl. 10)**

Before you get any funny ideas, no…the boy was not currently berating his creativity when it came to character names for his attention to dedicated entirely to the first character…one he had spent countless hours developing.

"No, now is not the time for a stroll down memory lane…the others are waiting."

Swiftly double-tapping the first character, a flash of white light filled his vision before being slowly adjusting to familiar scenery. Blinking several times, the sight of a ceiling he had seen so many times came into view. Lifting his hands in front of his face, Satoru saw two bony skeletal hands in front.

This was no doubt…Yggdrasil.

"It feels good to be back!"

With that passing thought, Momonga slowly assumed a sitting position before a strong feminine voice filled his ears.

"Good morning Momonga-sama."

Directing his gaze at the source, the young boy was greeted with the sight of an elegant, snow white skinned black pony tailed maid.

"Hello Narberal."

It had only been a split second, but her frown hadn't escaped his attention.

'Wait…' A disturbing thought filled his mind at her uncharacteristic expression causing him to voice his concern without thinking.

"What's wrong?" Momonga questioned the beauty standing by his bedside with a raised eyebrow.

You see, Yggdrasil was probably most well known for the outstanding creativity in terms of limited quest rewards, often in the form of rare but tradeable equipment and/or consumables. Because a majority of these were obtained from seasonal events such as Christmas, one would earn an extremely significant sum simply by selling them to another player.

One year ago however, the popular DMMO-RPG took exciting to the next level, launching a short event that allowed players the opportunity to earn their very own "Guardian", an NPC dedicated solely to serving them alone. As a result, Satoru had spent many days without sleep, just as desperate as everyone else to earn what was undeniably the best reward Yggdrasil had to offer.

Naberal Gamma being the one and only guardian he himself had received, as such, she was loyal only to him, trusted with the upkeep of Nazarick and it's guild within. While Satoru had to question Narberal's behaviour especially towards the human race in general, given its frequent display of hostility worthy of multiple face-palms, there was no denying the sense of closeness that arose every time they interacted. There were even times when he likened the npc to his own…well best female friend, something he never admitted out loud to his fellow guild mates.

It was precisely because of all the time they spent together that allowed Momonga to spot out Narberal's odd behaviour with ease.

Instead of receiving a response to what would have been an ordinary question, Narberal opened her mouth as though deep in contemplation before inclining her head to one side in confusion. Then, with an emotionless expression, proceeded with a default answer.

"Sorry Momonga-sama, I do not understand your request."

Of course, NPCs were incapable of responding like a normal human would, being able to recognise only a select few 'commands' in the form of set phrases. In all his haste, Satoru had forgotten this simple rule.

"Guess it's just my imagination acting up again…" Clearing his throat, the young proceeded this time to a more pressing matter, accompanied with the proper procedure. "Command Narberal! Status Check: Touch Me."

"Touch me sama is currently offline."

"Command Narberal! Status Check: Nishirenkai."

"Nishirenkai sama is currently offline."

"No way…"

"Sorry Momonga-sama, I do not understand your request."

"Just talking to myself."

'Why is no one online?' Sliding his right hand in a vertical motion, Satoru opened up the character menu, and there next to the messages tab…

 **You currently have 40 unread messages.**

With a shaking hand, he tapped the first one, addressed to him from Touch Me.

 **Hey Momonga,**

 **How have you been my friend? Doing alright?**

 **It's been so long since we've had a chat!**

 **Look, I'm terribly sorry but I won't be able to make it tonight…work has just been overloaded on my end especially with the weekend drawing near. If this had been tomorrow evening, then the issue would have been minimal.**

 **As it stands, I'm looking at an all-nighter already.**

 **Again, I'm very sorry my friend.**

 **I hope to meet you again should the opportunity ever present itself in the future.**

 **Best of luck with your future endeavours and please say hi to everyone else for me.**

 **From Touch me.**

The rest of the messages were delivered in a similar fashion, essentially amounting to 40 apology letters in total.

"Are you kidding me?" Momonga roared with a flare of anger at no one in particular. After all, he had dedicated a long time to maintain the guild in its current state and there was no denying that meeting up with them eventually again had been the drive all along.

But the fire was quickly dispelled and Satoru knew he was simply being unreasonable; he was after all, the youngest amongst the group. The rest of the guild mates had real lives to attend to, with the oldest having families to feed. To expect each and everyone to dedicate the same amount of money and time as he did was outright ridiculous.

"I'm just being selfish aren't I?"

Despite the in game appearances as heteromorphic monsters, it was rather ironic that their personalities were quite the opposite. Satoru couldn't have asked for a friendlier bunch within a game where killing was allowed, therefore it must have been hard on them to send their apology letters. If anything, he was sure they had tried their best to dedicate time tonight.

He had simply asked for the impossible.

"Momonga-sama?"

Sparing a quick glance at his ever-faithful maid, the young boy offered a small smile in return. Of course, Narberal had no idea he was feeling down and had questioned him due to inactivity rather than concern. But Satoru couldn't help but think of it as the latter reason especially when faced with loneliness.

'No use mopping here in this room, might as well take one last look around Nazerick right?'

Directing his eyes towards the screen's upper right corner, the young boy confirmed that less than an hour remained till shutdown. It was hardly enough time to reminiscent every single fragment of memory he had in his repertoire, but complaining wasn't going to alter the inevitable. Of course, Satoru hadn't forgotten about the final gachapon opening and prioritising that meant a further decrease in his remaining time here, allowing him to visit two places at most.

"Narberal!"

"Yes Momonga-sama?"

"Follow."

"Understood."

Why the young boy asked her to follow…that was a question good enough to rack his own brains let alone a bystander.

No he knew the exact reason…after all, it was lonely in here. The additional set of footsteps trailing behind him bought about an odd sense of comfort, as though tricking his brain into believing he wasn't the only lone player in the entirety of Nazerick right now.

Quickening his pace, Momonga soon found himself face to face with a set of giant double doors. Pushing them open, the view of a giant circular room revealed itself, boasting a spectacular round table in its centre surrounded by 41 seats in total. Although initially formed by just a mere number of 9 players, the guild's dedication and skills towards the game eventually earned them quite the reputation, spreading fame to the ears of players. Although received by the majority as evil players, they had received favourable attention from a select few, leading their numbers to grow over time from 9 to 41 at it's peak.

That's right, back in the guild's most active times, every one of these seats would be filled on a daily basis, filling the now deadly silent room with chatter that would occasionally give even Satoru a headache. Momentarily scanning the room, his desire to see the past was granted, his brain, eyes and ears working in unison to provide him with an illusion for a second.

Despite not being real, the brief glimpses of his former guild mates' smiles were ingrained in his memory, their phantom laughter enough to draw out Satoru's own. Although small, Satoru surfaced a satisfied smile.

"The good old days…"

Having achieved what he had intended, Satoru was about to leave when a certain glare caught his eye. Twisting his head around, the young boy almost face palmed at his ignorance.

"How could I have forgotten that?"

The staff of Ainz own goal…a weapon that he alongside all his guildmates had worked tirelessly to make. Considering the amount of blood, sweat and tears shed during their endeavour to acquire said object, it certainly wouldn't be an exaggeration to deem the weapon as their greatest accomplishment to date. Money and time were the least of their sacrifices, for some even went as far as arguing with their family, prioritising Yggdrasil over their everyday lives.

Despite being made specifically to be Momonga's personalised gear, he had never once used it in actual combat, preferring to keep the staff as a symbol of the guild's golden days, even with it's overwhelming power.

"I hope they will forgive me for being selfish just for today." Mumbling that under his breath, Satoru reached out and grabbed the staff's cold and smooth surface. Acknowledging that time was limited and that there was still one more place he wanted to visit, Satoru turned on his heels with Narberal following in suit.

Descending down a flight of steps into the royal suite, the young boy noticed the presence of a single NPC waiting at the bottom of the grand staircase.

"Good evening Momonga-sama, I have a financial report awaiting your eyes."

"Very well, send it to me now."

"Understood."

A familiar window popped into Satoru's field of vision, the young boy briefly scanning over it's contents in order to confirm that no errors were made.

"Hmmm…looks like we still have enough funds to last well over half a year at this rate." Vocally expressing his thoughts, Momonga nodded once his eyes reached the final line, satisfied that everything was going according to plan.

Closing the window with a wave of his hand, he focused his vision on the still bowing financial manager of Nazarick before giving an order.

"Dismissed!"

"Yes, Momonga-sama."

Pandora's actor is actually Nishirenkai's guardian. However with the absence of their masters, guardians around Nazarick had instead been allocated automated tasks to help maintain the guild as a whole.

Surfacing a small sad smile, Satoru returned his attention ahead as soon as a change of terrain was felt underneath his feet. Perhaps being the most intricately decorated room within all of Nazarick, the young boy continued trekking down a soft red carpet towards a world item the guild had obtained upon clearing Nazarick for the first time.

Constructed from a single mass of obsidian, a large black throne was situated at the furthest end of the large room and elevated by several steps. Bearing an official name "Throne of Kings", the object itself was in fact an integral part of the guild itself although it's exact magical effects still eluded Satoru. Regardless of this, it was visually appealing yet retaining an overbearing aura fit for the guild leader; even if it was quite literally rock hard. At one point, the young boy even brooded if it's effects were to prevent it's user from getting a sore backside, but ultimately dispelled the thought, having faith in the developers to not create such a useless world item.

Slowly pacing up the final steps towards his throne, the third and final NPC he interacted with on a daily basis bowed before acknowledging his presence with a smile.

"What a pleasure it is to see you again Momonga-sama."

"Rise, Albedo."

Following his command, a pale winged woman arose from her kneeling posture before giving off a warming smile. Possessing lovely golden eyes and a lavish figure to boot, Satoru still found it hard to believe that Tabula, a former guildmate with quite a…questionable taste, had managed to land themselves such a visually appealing white dressed guardian instead of a…

"Albedo report!"

"Right away Momonga-sama."

A comprehensive article, much like the one Pandora sent, once again flashed across his screen, this time detailing the activities of each floor guardian as well as the general welfare of Nazarick as a whole from intruders. Being the overseer of guardians here, Albedo is tasked with handling all of their activities, ultimately making her the highest ranked NPC here.

Finding nothing unusual within the report, the young man casually dismissed it without a second thought. To be fair, who in their right mind would bother trying to infiltrate when the server's will be shut down in less than half an hour right?

"I appreciate your work as per usual Albedo, well done."

"Sorry Momonga-sama, but I don't understand your command."

"Thank you Albedo." This time opting for the correct phrase, a positive response was returned.

"I am not worthy of your praise." Bowing slightly with a warming smile, Satoru once again found himself irked with Tabula's settings.

'Seriously man, what were you thinking when you made your NPCs…'

Lost heavily in thought whilst berating his friend's taste in women, a sudden light bulb flickered, striking the boy with an idea.

"Normally you would need to go through more complicated procedures…but with this staff I could certainly…Aha!"

Filled with both guilt at modifying someone else's creation but also excitement from being able to wield the staff, Satoru navigated the game's interface before finally opening Albedo's character settings. Flicking through the insanely long "essay", Satoru finally reached the bottom, immediately locating the 'quirk' Tabula had instilled into her creation.

"Sorry my friend, but it doesn't quite sit right with me especially since Albedo has helped me out so much."

Muttering this small apology, Momonga deleted the final sentence before a warning sound erupted from his head. Upon closer inspection, a flashing red clock at the top right hand corner of his vision could be seen flashing, signalling that only 15 minutes remained before Yggdrasil's end dawned on them.

"Ohhh crap…errr…Albedo dismissed!" In his haste, Satoru absent-mindely typed something random into Albedo's settings before closing the window altogether. Realising he had dawdled for way too long, the young boy quickly opened the cash shop in search of the latest gachapon.

 **Latest sales:**

 **Horizon Gacha**

 **Description - While we may be leaving the world of Yggdrasil for good, our characters will continue to live on. Arm them with the latest tools and gear to ensure their survival in the future.**

 **Contents – A selection of limited assesories, weapon, armor, items etc. of varying grades/quality from past sales (divine weapons included). IMPORTANT NOTE: Also contains a selection of exclusive items made specifically for this event. Only one of each will be included within this gacha making them unique for the lucky players who receive them. Trading between players for these unique goods are prohibited so be sure to log onto your main character when opening.**

 **Best of luck to you all.**

 **Purchase? Yes/No**

"Unique items? This wasn't mentioned on the website?" Not going to lie, he had always been a sucker for these things, going as far as spending every yen to obtain an item once he set his eyes on it. "Well at least this makes it more exciting right?!"

 **How many would you like? 10 / 20 / 50**

 **Confirm your purchase of (50 Horizon Gacha)? Yes / No**

"The only problem with these gachas is you can't just buy 1000 at once…kind of a drag to click 50 twenty times…" Being heavily experienced in this field, Satoru navigated the menu with a single hand with the other supporting his head our of boredom. After spending all his available balance, Satoru transferred all 1000 gacha boxes into his inventory, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Double-tapping the stack of boxes once, a menu popped up with a choice.

 **How many would you like to open at once? 1 / 10 / 100 / 1000**

"Alrighty, I won't have time to open them one by one all the way…but let's just do that for the first 20 for fun…"

Selecting '1', a small animation erupted from the box, before a message revealed what item he had received.

 **Congratulations, you have received 'Ring Of Sustenance'!**

"Errr…well we are just warming up here right? Hahaha…" Careful so as to not drown his excitement, Satoru quickly moved onto the next gacha.

 **Congratulations, you have received 'Ring Of Sustenance'!**

"…"

 **Congratulations, you have received 'Ring of Sustenance'!**

"Are you kidding me?! Is the game telling me to eat more and my character is starving with my knowledge?!" Taking a few deeps breaths to cool down, the young boy proceeded as calmly as he could.

 **Congratulations, you have received 'H…**

"Ohhhh! The first letter isn't R! It's not another ring!"

 **p recovery potion'!**

"Why do I need a hp recovery potion! Out of all the possible loot! Hello game?!"

 **Congratulations, you have received 'Hp recovery potion!'!**

"…"

* * *

"Ok, I bought one thousand of these things. Please! Gimme one of those unique items!"

Having opened well over half, Satoru was quickly running out of patience from the mediocre items he had received. To be completely honest, it wasn't all that bad, still managing to rake up quite a number of useful accessories. If he sold them, there was sure to be some profit here and there. But earning gold was probably the last thing he wanted right now, especially with the game this close to closing.

"Ahhh well, no use crying over spilt milk right? Might as well move on and just get this over with yeh?"

 **Congratulations, you have received 'Hp recovery potion'!**

"Nghhhhdwiaolijldwoadjkselngfnhskjdvnjnbjvnejwaukfnawjufkhwajkfnjebsfesfvhvjsldnvjknsjenfjkesf."

"kujnjsnhmv,jsdnvjlkwfnjnjkesfnjskbvjshndwsfefvkileakjncfc."

"nkfsenjkvnsjdvnjknw,3fnjeswnfjsnjfnesfse."

"This game!"

Rising from his throne and jumping up and down in a tantrum, Satoru quickly realised that he wasn't in the private confines of his bedroom. Quickly scanning around in embarrassment, he saw a faithful maid standing just a few ways off. For some reason however, Narberal had her face turned away from him with shaking shoulders.

"Naberal?"

"Yes, Momonga-sama?" Without changing her field of gaze, the black-haired maid replied albeit slightly differently.

"Narberal Come!"

"Understood."

Moving from her usual standpoint, Nabe stopped at the foot of the stairs before kneeling, locking gaze with him. The motion was expected but the slight tinge of red on her cheeks wasn't, and it was this subtle change that bothered Momonga a little, but he ultimately brushed it off.

"Yggdrasil, you sure gave me a guardian with complex feelings huh?"

"Momonga sama?" Adopting her usual poker-face, the black-haired maid questioned the guild leader, as though unable to comprehend what he had just said.

"Everything is ok!"

"Very well."

Clearing his throat loudly, Satoru once again checked the time before continuing what he had been doing before his frustration derailed said task.

'Uhhh hmmm, so about that unique item…'

The rest of the gachapons went by rather uneventfully with the young boy opting to open them in stacks of 50 rather than individually, saving both time and sanity in the process. In the end, Satoru received several rare items here and there but not quite managing to acquire those exclusive items he had initially hoped for.

Scrolling down his now overloaded inventory list, the young boy conducted his usual inspection following a gacha opening, clearing any mundane items while hot-keying any useful combat items.

'It really could have been worse…I could always use a few extra staff of resurrections and some divine gear as well…but then again, this is the last time I'm logging in after all right?'

Continuing to flick through the list, his eyes stopped at one item in particular, drawing a small nostalgic chuckle from the boy.

'Wish upon a shooting star ring, I remember trying to get this for the first time back then and it would appear my luck hasn't improved since that gacha haha.'

Materialising the ring via a double click, Satoru studied its delicate design in the light, the embedded gem and metallic band glimmering brilliantly. Admiring the same accessory Yamaiko, one of his former guild mates, used to taunt him with. Rather than acquiring it on his second gacha box like she did, the young boy had spent a fortune in his quest to obtain said rare item, spending 2 days without lunch as a result. Much like his opening today, he had gotten a bunch of lower tier prizes instead. If there was a ranking for having the most items in this game, Momonga was almost certainly in the running for first place, considering the amount of cash items he had amassed.

'Oh well, it's not like I seriously expected to get a unique item anyway. If anything, it may be more worthwhile to have more basic consumables as opposed to rare but useless collectables right?'

Of course, he had no way of knowing exactly what those supposed exclusive goods were, but pondering over them would be like crying over split milk at this point, nothing to be done in that regard.

Reaching the end of the 'Newly acquired items', Satoru hovered his finger briefly over the last item he had gotten (a statue of teleportation), adding it to his inventory before closing the menu altogether. Considering the amount of recycled stuff he had gotten from this, the young boy had to give it a rather low rating. After reading the grand message left by the developers, he couldn't deny expecting more.

'But then again, who would be stupid enough to dedicate money on a game's final day right?'

There was no way of telling for certain without actual statistics, but those who had done the same as him had to be the minority, even less matching his level of spending. With that thought in mind, it was no wonder the developers saved the effort. Besides, the context behind this gachapon was to help players severe the ties between them and their characters. In other words, it was like a final chance to provide whatever necessary to ensure the avatar's survival when they part. Sure it sounds stupid considering it was all just a game, but for those that have dedicated vast amounts of time towards the game, parting from their online alter ego was not meagre task.

Between 'Yggdrasil is ending, see ya bois' and 'although we are saying our farewells to Yggdrasil, the world and it's characters within will continue to live on', there is little to no doubt that the latter sounds better.

After all, the notion of something continuing on definitely felt better than everything coming to an end even if they essentially were the same in this case.

Furthemore, it provided players with the reason to interact one last time, the gachapon merely acting as a catalyst. In fact, that had been Satoru's original intention all along, hoping to relive the guild's glory days when they had provided for one another.

Having settled down a great deal, he was left with a few moments to spare, glancing around the empty room, bathing in the silence that it offered. Had it been a year ago, Satoru would have surely found the lack of noise unpleasant, preferring the brain rattling chatter his former guild mates would have offered. Yet over the past 12 months, he had no choice but to grown accustomed to these changes, his friends gradually leaving one by one. Needless to say, leaving ainz own goal to join another livelier guild might have been an appropriate choice, but Satoru had shot it down immediately, berating himself for even contemplating such a thought.

'I would sooner quit the game than leave the very place everyone had built together.'

And that he almost did.

Eventually left as the only active member, the black-haired had been this close to following in suit, the loneliness slowly drowning him much like it did in real life.

But, as silly as it sounds, someone saved him…

"Narberal come!" Adopting a voice that resembled an offer rather than an order, Momonga gestured the space directly in front of him. However, the black-haired maid shook her head, unwilling to climb the stairs, which lead to him.

"Sorry Momonga-sama, that is a place only you and Albedo-sama are permitted to set foot on. As your servant, it is not in my place or power."

'Oh right…we did program the guardians to never enter certain areas depending on their ranking…'

Arising from his throne, Satoru slowly descended towards the still-kneeling Narberal before taking a seat on the floor in front of her.

"Momonga-sama?" Tilting her head to one side in confusion, his maid beckoned for an explanation on his rather unorthodox action.

"If you can't come to me, then I'll just come to you. After all, I have a message for you." The young boy had spoken the truth mainly out of politeness, seeing as there was no way Narbarel would have understood anything out of the pre-recorded npc commands. "Sit!"

Following the instruction, the black-haired beauty elegantly sat on her feet, making sure to not crease her uniform in the process.

"I errr…have something to tell you tonight…" Scratching his character's skull in nervousness, the young boy carefully pondered his next words.

To be completely honest, Satoru still felt rather awkward whenever his conversations with Naberal extended beyond just a few casual lines. Sure he had spent far more time interacting with her compared to any of the other npcs around, but the absolute fashion in which she served, treated and addressed him was not something the young boy felt he could ever get used to. Regardless, he hoped to express what he had in mind as clearly as possible, especially since this was his final chance to do so.

"Narberal, thank you for always being by my side especially when much of it must be severely boring haha. Whether it is cleaning and dusting my room, providing my meals or just handling a majority of the chores, I know it must be pretty tedious work no thanks to my lack of tidiness. Yet day in and day out, you continuously take care of my needs and for that, I definitely want to express my gratitude."

Compared to tasks like managing the guild's funds or overseeing all the other floor guardians, it is quite easy to take ordinary household chores as mundane and underwhelming. In hindsight, Satoru himself had taken it all for granted. After all, an npc is expected to do this…its their job right?

No, that was merely an excuse, for such a train of thought would surely translate to real life as well. Should he choose to adopt such an attitude, there was little to no doubt that he would make a terrible leader. With his job in reality being at the bottom of the food chain, it was easy to him to understand what it felt like on the receiving end.

Being the npc he interacted with most out of all the guardians present, Narberal was always there for him. Even when they trekked outside of Nazerick in order to hunt, the maid would accompany him wordlessly. Chores, battle partner, bodyguard…the black-haired beauty was practically doing 3 jobs on her own. If that wasn't enough to warrant some form of merit, then Satoru didn't know what would. Sure she was an npc, but it didn't change the fact that he felt genuine appreciation for her efforts.

In hindsight, he still never quite understood how she became his personal maid in the first place. Not only was she intended to be a battle guardian, but there were also quite a number of maids besides Narberal. As far as he was concerned, the black-haired had somehow suddenly started taking care of everything for him one day and that had been it.

Nevertheless, he was thankful she did.

"I hate to be so repetitive…but thank you again for accompanying me through all this time. Although I wish we could continue together, this is regrettably my final day in Yggdrasil. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavour!" Having said everything he needed to say, Satoru bowed his head to further amplify his gratitude.

'These items aren't really worth what she has done for me…but it's the most I can offer ahaha.' But before he could gift any of the items he had received from the horizon gacha, a sudden system message sprang to life, drawing his attention.

 **Dear Player,**

 **Excess Yggdrasil drops have been detected in your inventory, would you like to exchange the remainder for:**

 **Horizon Gachapon x 1**

 **Yes/No**

"Huh? I don't remember them coming in bundles of one…but sure I'll take it."

Upon confirmation, one final cash box was delivered to his inventory, allowing the boy one last chance to test his luck.

"Here goes nothing!"

Rather than the usual animation involving the lock opening and the chest flicking open, a bright light instead blinded Satoru before the cash box exploded into a myriad of white dust. Slowly opening his eyes, a large message filled his screen.

 **Congratulations Momonga, you have obtained a Unique Horizon item!**

"What?!"

 **The following has been added to your inventory:**

 **C…**

But before the rest of the message could be revealed, another sprung up to fill it's place.

 **Warning! Servers will begin commencing shut down in 10…**

"Ohhhh crap! I didn't even get to read what that item was!"

 **9…**

Satoru immediately opened his inventory, palms beginning to sweat in anxiety.

 **8…**

"Why do I have so many items?!"

 **7…**

In his hurry to locate the new item, Satoru accidentally tapped a small red 'x' in the top right hand corner.

"Are you kidding me right now!"

 **6…**

In order to maximise his efficiency, the young boy now waved both his hands about like a maniac, hoping to reach the bottom of his inventory faster.

 **5…**

"There it is!"

 **4…**

Without even bothering to read its description or name, Satoru materialised said item into his hands, finding a pair of beautifully designed rectangular crystals lying firmly in his palm. Their use remained a mystery to him however but there was no time to double-check.

 **3…**

"Narberal!"

 **2…**

The young man immediately reached out to his hand, offering one of the mysterious items in a frantic manner.

 **1…**

As though understanding his intention, the black-haired maid received his gift with both hands before clasping it tightly.

 **0…**

Breathing a sigh of relief, Satoru instinctively clutched onto the other crystal as though it were a lifeline before the final second flew by.

However, rather than experiencing the usual gentle log out that would occur during maintenances, a sudden jolt shot through his spine, immediately sending the boy flying backward from some unknown force. Letting out an excruciating cry, he barely realised the weight from his clasped hand disappear in the process.

"Momonga-sama!"

With his consciousness slowly fading, it took every brain cell for Satoru to realise he was no longer flying mid air, instead cradled in the arms of a worried maid.

"I'll miss you…"

One last detail caught his eye just before he fainted.

The time was 12:00:01am.

* * *

 **Author's notes: Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to read this, and I hope that its been enjoyable in some way :D I would love to hear whatever it is you guys have to say too, so free feel to leave behind a message!**

 **With all that said and done, until next time everyone!**

 **-Velvet**


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